Maria Prymachenko
• Maria Avksentievna Prymachenko was a Ukrainian national painter, representative of “national primitivism”. She was born on 12 of January, 1909, in Kyiv region of Ukraine, in the village of Bolotnya, in the family of artists, where she spent all her life (died on 18 of August, 1997). Her grandmother colored and decorated Easter eggs. Her father, Avksentiy Grigorievich, was a wizard carpenter; he constructed fences stylized as “head-looking” images. Her mother, Paraska Vasylievna, was an acknowledged embroidery master (Maria Prymachenko was always dressed in the self-embroidered shirts). From her mother the painter adopted her technique of creating the fairy ornament, so specific for Ukrainian craftswomen.
• Maria’s childhood was overshadowed by horrible sickness – poliomyelitis. It made her serious and very observant, sharpening her hearing and sight. Maria fearlessly and worthily rubbed through all life’s hardships; she knew the happiness of love (her husband died on the battlefield) and the happiness to be a mother: her son Fedir is also a national painter; he was her friend and follower.
The Art • Maria started to paint in early childhood. People praised her work. The neighbors asked to decorate their houses. • Prymachenko’s talent was discovered by Kiev resident Tetyana Floru (at 1960 -1970s the wide popularization of Prymachenko’s art was organized by journalist G. Mestechkin).
The Art
• In 1937 Maria Avksentiivna was invited to the experimented workshops by the Kyiv museum of Ukrainian Art. Her art became more multifarious – Maria paints, cross-stitches and has a great interest in ceramics. In the State museum of Ukrainian national and crafts art are housed remarkable ceramic jugs and plates of this period.
International recognition • At this time she started her exhibitions which had a great success in many countries of the world. For the participation in the exhibition of national art in 1936 Prymachenko was awarded diploma of the first degree. From that moment her works were successfully exhibited in Paris, Warsaw, Sofia, Montreal, and Prague.
World war II • In 1937 on the world exhibition in Paris Maria Prymachenko received the golden medal, having surprised the world or art by her paintings… But for some time she had to forget about art. The War had begun and Maria Primachenko came back to her native village where outlived the most difficult years of her life. The War took away her husband who even didn’t see their son Fedir. But in spite of all difficulties of live conditions and poverty, her creative spirit wasn’t broken.
New period in life and work • In 1960 the painter starts to work on a new cycle – “For the joy of people”, which includes such works as “Sunflower”, “Blue vase with flowers”, “Dove on guilder rose”, and “Lion”. For this cycle Maria Prymachenko was honored with T.G. Shevchenko Ukrainian National Awards.
Painting techniques • Maria Prymachenko admitted that she had no “professional tricks”. She painted on ordinary paper by tailor-made paintbrushes, using gouache and watercolor. She preferred gouache, because this paint gives juicy, decoratively expressive image with distinct silhouette. First the painter led the line by pencil, somehow carelessly, in a childish way, marked the contours of the image and only after that confidently put the color.
Fantastic animals • She was not only an excellent painter, but also a talented poetess. Her successful captions such as short bywords are easy to recall. Fantastic animals are creations of painter’s genius imagination. Such animals do not exist in the nature. In general, her “animal series” were a unique occurrence that has analogue neither in national nor in world art.
Chornobyl themed paintings • Shortly before her death she created an impressive Chornobyl’s series. Maria’s home village is located in 30 km zone from Chornobyl. That is why she knows problems and grief of lots of Chornobyl’s people very good. Paintings cycle dedicated to that tragedy went through the world.
• The painter died at 89th year of her life. But fortunately the family of creators Prymachenko is continuing. Her son Fedor was her best student and now he is honoured artist of Ukraine. Also her grandchildren Peter and Ivan went by her way. Today they are young and talented painters; each of them is outstanding individuality. UNESCO announced that 2009 is the Year of Ukrainian Artist Maria Prymachenko.